The present invention relates to an apparatus for sharpening the knife blade of a food slicer. More particularly, this invention relates to a sharpener which is always in an active position and is actuated against the knife by using a single lever and cam.
Typical food slicers have a rotatable, circular or disc-like slicing knife, a gauge plate for determining the thickness of the slice and a carriage for supporting the food as it is moved past the cutting edge of the knife during slicing.
It is known that the knife blade of a slicer dulls from use. Therefore, a sharpener is needed to sharpen the blade for improved cutting of the blade. Sharpening stones are typically brought against the knife's cutting edge as the circular knife is rotated in order to sharpen the knife.
However, it is common practice to move the sharpener from an inactive or stowed position on a separate portion of the slicer housing to an active or sharpening position by some external means.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,483,878 to Hand teaches sharpening wheels which are biased against the slicer knife by a compression spring. However, the sharpener must be rotated between an operating position and an inoperative, stowed position below the tray by means of a pivot pin.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,225,802 to Engi teaches a sharpening unit on a frame which is pivotally supported on a pivot pin. The sharpener is pivoted and folded down into a recess when not in use.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,101,704 and 3,958,478 to Jones et al. and Camper, respectively, teach the "up and over" approach in which the sharpener is mounted to a pair of parallel slots in a bracket extending from the slicer. The sharpener has fixed pins which cooperate with the open-ended slots to enable the sharpener to be moved between active and inactive positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,150 to Arconada teaches a sharpener which is mounted in a position from which the slicer knife can be sharpened without moving the sharpener from a stowed position. A control knob is pushed in and rotated until the shaft applied pressure to press the sharpener against the blade.
There are several disadvantages to using the above-mentioned sharpeners. First, the slicer housing must be able to supply a recess or place to store the sharpener when in the stowed position. Second, it takes the user an added amount of time if they must stop and maneuver the sharpener into the active position. Third, the sharpeners are not easily removable for cleaning and replacing the stone should it wear.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an apparatus in which the sharpener does not need to be moved from a stowed position to a sharpening or active position; an apparatus in which the sharpener stone is easily moved into position to apply pressure to the knife; and an apparatus which can readily be removed from the slicer for cleaning.